Luminous attachment for electric-switch-operating members



Dec. 1, 1925.

- B. C. PERKINS LUMINOUS ATTACHMENT FOR ELECTRIC SWITCH OPERATING MEMBERS Filed June 27-. 1922 HIWIF IZWHIHIII INVENTOR BEA/m4! 11v PEEK/NS ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca.

BENJAMIN c. raiurms, or nan'rroan, connncrro'cr, assmnon To run annow nmc'rmo company, or ammonia, connnc'rrcu'r, A conrona'rron or con- NECTICUT.

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Application filed June 27, 1922. Serial No. 571,137.

To all whom it may comm:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN C. PERKINS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Luminous Attachments for E ectric-Switch- Operatin Members, of which the following is a speci cation. l

ment for an electric switch operating memher, and the object of my invention is to provide a luminous attachment of such character that it may be applied to switch 16 operating members of different types adapted to receive it, and preferabl to associate with the attachment means or looking it against escape from the switch operating member. The invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms,not only with res ect to the luminous element of the attachment, but also withrespect to the means by which it is secured to the switch operating member. I have shown only certain ill lustrative embodiments thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of an electric switch, to the operatlng lever of which my invention is applied in one form;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the switch operating lever illustrated in Fi 1' Fig. 3 is a broken elevation thereof at right angles to position shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is .a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a broken side. elevation of a modified form of luminous attachment and a corresponding modification of the switch lever to cooperate therewith; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66, Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a plan view of a locking washer; Fi 8 is an inverted plan of the luminous attac ment alone;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged section on the line 46 99, Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation partially in section of a modified form-of switch lever; Fig. 11 is a section through the end of a switch operating pull chain to which a W luminous attachment of the type shown in Fig 6 is applied; and Y ig. 12 1s a similar view of the end of a switch operating pull cord.

Various types of luminous elements for My invention relates to a luminous attachelectric switch operating members have been provided, but so far as I am aware they necessitate either a special. construction of the operating member, with which the luminous element is permanently associated as a structural element, or where the luminous member is independent and removably applied, a special construction is neces sitated, which not only adds materially to the cost of the switch operating member, but alsodisfigures it when a luminous attachment is not used. Moreover, such independent attachments as have been provided heretofore are readily detached, and are frequently stolen when exposed in public places, such as hotel rooms, ofiices, etc. By the present invention I provide a luminous attachment which may readily be applied to a switch operating member and secured thereto by means which are impossible or difiicult of release, but which involve very slight additional expense in the manufacture of the switch operating member, and moreover, do not detract in any way from its appearance, but, on the contrary, add to its normal attractiveness, when the luminous attachment is not in position.

In the form of construction shown in Figs. 1-4, I have shown the attachment applied to the manipulating end 15 of the operating lever 16 for a toggle switch housed beneath the usual face plate 17. It is customary, in the majority of switches of this type, to impart to the end 15 of the lever a more or less conical contour with rounded head of greater diameter than the shank. This is well adapted for the reception of the present luminous attachment 18, which is here shown in the form of a cap having a skirt-like extension slotted to form spring fingers 19 which embrace the head of the lever, and having an oppositely projecting luminous element 20 which may be of any suitable character. While the spring fingers 19 will serve alone to hold the cap 18 in position on the lever, it is desirable to provide the head of the latter with a lateral fillet area 21, and to form the ends of the spring fingers 19 with locking do s 22 which renders the re-use of the attachment impractical. The fillets 21, far from detractmg from the appearance of the lever, actually serve to ornament 1t, and add to' ts attractiveness. Consequently, even if the luminous attachment is not used the appearance of the switch lever is not objectionably affected.

In Figs. 5 to 9 I have shown a modified construction in which the lateral fillet on the head of the lever is in the form of a spiral or thread 23, while the luminous attachment 24 has an internall threaded skirt or annular flan e 25. The 't readed engagement thus afior ed is suflicient to secure the attachment on the lever end, but would not in itself prevent the ready removal of the cap therefrom. In order to revent such removal I preferably form in t e dome-like head of the lever a series of radial serrations 26, or their equivalents. A second series of serrations 27, or their equivalents,

is formed on the inner face of the cap 24. A lock washer 28, preferably resilient, which may be permanently, but loosely, staked at 29 in the cap 24 by deforming portion of the wall above the margin of the washer, is provided with dogs and 31 offset from opposite faces of the washer and adapted to enga e the serrations 26'and 27, res ectively, on t e dome of the switch lever, an on the inner face of the cap 24 when the attachment is screwed into position on the lever. The dogs 30 and 31 are faced in such direction that they permit the cap to be screwed down hard upon the handle, but prevent its reverse rotation by reason of their engagement with the serrations 26'and 27 as above specified. Obviously, the lock washer may be rigidly secured to the cap,

if preferred, and in this case the serrations 27 of the latter, together with the dogs 31 may be omitted. The dogs 30 then cooperate with the serrations, or their uivalents, on the dome of the lever, as: a sin e, instead of as a double-acting locking rate et.

In-Fig. 10 I have shown a further modification, in which the switch lever 16 has a finger end 32 slotted at 33 to afford a spring engagement with the attachment, which ma be of either of the ty 5 above describe The normal diameter 0 the finger end being slightly greater than that of the engaging portions'of the cap, the latter is gripped with a locking s ring action and is held against accidenta esca after adjustment.

In Fig. 11 I have ilustrated an attachment of the type shown in Fig. 5 applied to the enlarged terminal ball 34 of a pull chain 35, the ball 34 being threaded at 36 to receive the threaded collar of the luminous cap.

. A similar a illustrated in nal ball 37 at the end- 0 a switch cord 38, the ball 37 being threaded at 39. In this case the shoulder 40 of the ball forms an abutment against which the lower margins of the cap thrust when the cap is screwed down hard, and thus adds sufliciently to the frictional engagement between the cooperating threads to lock the cap in position.

Various other applications of the invention, and modifications of construction, will readily occur to those skilled in the art, which do not. depart from what I claim as my invention.

- I claim An attachment for an electric switch operating member havin a peripheral threaded area and a radialIy attachment comprising a cap having a tapped recess to screw on the threaded area of the switch operating .member, a lock washer secured in the bottom of said recess to. engage the'radi-al serrations at the end of the switch operating member, and lumilication of theinvention is nous material at the opposite end of the cap.

In testimony whereof I have signed my nameto this specificatiom Barn. 0. PERKINS 1g. 12, agplied to the termiserrated. end, said 

